1. Field of the Invention. This invention relates to the field of soft, tonneau covers and more particularly to the field of soft, tonneau covers for the beds of pickup trucks and similar vehicles.
2. Discussion of the Background. Soft, tonneau covers for pickup trucks and similar vehicles (such as sport utility ones with exposed beds or decks) help to cover and protect the beds of the vehicles and any items in them. Such covers typically are made of flexible fabric, canvas, or vinyl. Additionally, they commonly have a relatively low profile (i.e., extend relatively flat across the top of the bed walls) and can be easily moved to cover and uncover the bed and its contents. They are also often easily and conveniently storable on the vehicle when not in use or easily removed completely from the vehicle for separate storage.
Currently, such soft covers are normally not lockable and can be removed by anyone at any time from over the bed of the vehicle. Some covers like U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,338 to Schmeichel et al. secure the soft cover in place over the bed with nominal locking arrangements but do not do so in combination with a lockable tailgate to create true security.
With this in mind, the lockable tonneau cover and lockable tailgate combination of the present invention was developed.